Can The Spread Be Successful in the NFL?

Just read this Truth and Rumor on SI about Urban Meyer's comments on the effectiveness on the spread in the NFL...

Florida coach Urban Meyer has been asked for advice from at least four N.F.L. teams, including the New England Patriots. "I think it would have worked years ago," Meyer said. "No one has had enough -- I don't want to say courage -- no one has wanted to step across that line. Everyone runs the same offense in the N.F.L. A lot of those coaches are retreads. They get fired in Minnesota, they go to St. Louis. They get fired in St. Louis and go to San Diego. I guess what gets lost in the shuffle is your objective is to go win the game. If it's going to help you win the game, then you should run the spread."

I read some of the points their readers made including the limit of 53 players on an NFL roster, system quarterbacks, and the difficulty creating mismatches with NFL caliber talent. Just wondering what you guys think.

:geaux:

 

the spread has been very effective in the NFL for bookies for a long, long time

 

Houston ran the run and shoot for a few years with Warren Moon, who was good at it. They got to the playoffs, never made it to the superbowl game. If you're just good at running or just passing, the defense will shut it down. Then you're dead. Seems the teams that win it all are balanced offenses, then you can't overplay the run or the pass. Unless you're the Baltimore Ravens, in which case your defense is so good, you just have to have the offense show up and move 20 yards from the last interception your defense gave you, and you win 7-0. Look at the Steelers from the 70's, the Niners from the 80's, and New England this decade, and they are balanced offenses. NFL coaches emulate what works.

 

The better question for CUM is can the spread be successful in South Bend?

 

i did a lot of reading on the evolution of the run and shoot and spread offenses long ago. i found it pretty interesting.

it was very successful in the NFL and set most of the records and while there is some truth to its ineffectiveness against more physical teams, thats mostly due to their piss-poor defenses. Not the offense itself. (whether this affects defensive preparation/physicality is another subject altogether)

But theres such a stigma against it from the traditional mindset in the NFL, no one even attempts it anymore. at least not a true RnS. the media and public perception is too much for an unproven coach to handle. an occasional wildcat formation is about all they can manage.

It would take a guy like parcells if it was to happen again but hes one of those traditional mindsets i was referring to. he likely despises it.

the run and shoot could still likely be the most effective offense in the NFL if run correctly. sean payton's offense isnt that far removed from it. most offenses run some derivation.

The Saints could plug anyone in 5 wide and make them a star. the same way warren moon made those nobodies in houston regulars in honolulu.

although one common element for both saints and oilers is a hall of fame qb. its easy to forget how great warren moon really was.

id still like to see a coach fully implement that offense again.

 

Kevin Gilbride is still around, Giants OC. He was in Houston when they ran it, so he knows how to do it.

Buddy Ryan used to call it the chuck and duck!

 

If the Saints want to kill Drew Brees it would be less painful to just hire a hit man

 

just need a smart qb able to read defenses like a book. Moon ran about as often as brees. never.

 

The run and shoot offense died a catastrophic death on the afternoon that houston blew their 35-3 lead in the playoffs. There is no reason whatsoever a playoff team should blow a 32 point lead in the 2nd half. If they could have ran the ball at all in the 2nd half, they kill the clock and win the game. But throwing the ball around and stopping the clock, the gave the Bills time to get back in the game and win it in overtime.

Like its been said earlier, it takes balance to win in the NFL. The spread will work if a team is able to both pass and run effictively. The spread option that florida and west virginia run will get a QB killed in the NFL.